Airport goodbyes
by CSIJustMe
Summary: PG for language., JS. Post bait, two people seek closure.


AN:

Ok so this is my first ever WAT fic. Please review, good or bad I wanna know. Post ep for bait, although I haven't seen it as I live in the UK I have been spoiled out of my mind by the wonder that is Maple street. Jack / Sam naturally.

* * *

She pulled up at the airport trying desperately to avoid thinking about who she spent the previous night with. She needed today. Today it had to end. She knew that it had ended a long time ago. But she still needed to see him fly off to his new life to accept that he had gone.

* * *

As he walked through the sliding doors he tried desperately to figure out where he went from here. Yesterday he thought that he knew exactly where he would be going but as he hugged his two little girls goodbye he felt as though nothing was right, but everything was right. His children were leaving, going to another city, without really understanding why their daddy wasn't going with them. But now he wasn't leaving. He was staying in the city that he loved, he was no longer involved in a sham marriage, he now had the freedom he had wanted from the moment that he met her. Only now, now he had said goodbye. Let her think that he didn't love her enough to stay. Afraid to tell her that he was too much of a coward to give up his misery for her, and too much of a coward to be the bastard who broke his little girls' hearts.

* * *

He watched them walk through the gate being comforted by their mother, the woman who broke up his family, and who saved his heart. He needed his family, his children, and his lover, his addiction; he had to leave her to have his family. Now he couldn't have his family, he needed her.

He turned and headed towards the viewing gallery, he needed to watch them leave, he needed to accept that they had gone.

* * *

She heard the final boarding call for his flight as she sat down in her seat, front row of the gallery in the furthest corner of the room. She didn't need an audience to witness the end of the relationship that would shape her life forever. She pulled her knees into her chest as she watched the airplane for the slightest hint a movement.

* * *

He stepped into the viewing gallery and immediately sought the solace of the far corner. As he approached he realized the seat he sought was occupied. Then his heart stopped. She is here. Why was she here? Was she really here or is his imagination turning a random blond woman into her? She wiped her eyes her knees as she hugged them tighter to herself. Sam was here. She was here and she thought he was leaving. Was she crying over him? If she was, did that mean she still felt for him? Was this hope?

He was here to say goodbye to his old life, was he now looking at his new life?

He slumped heavily into the seat many rows behind her and several seats to her right. And watched as plane carrying his children pulled out of it's dock and made it's way to the end of the runway.

* * *

The plane that carried her heart gathered pace as it made it's way down the runway, and as it lifted off the ground she could barely see through the tears streaming down her face. She watched as it disappeared through the clouds before she buried her face in her knees and released the grief that consumed her.

* * *

He watched the plane disappear through the clouds as he kissed his fingers sending his love to the children for which he was willing to give up his soul mate. Now he sat looking at her, she seemed to disappear into her knees. He wanted to get up. To tell her that he was not on the plane. He was paralyzed. What if she didn't want to know?

* * *

She gathered herself enough to stand. Wiping her wet face on the sleeve of her shirt. She lifted her purse from the floor by her feet, drew in a deep breath and tuned towards the exit.

* * *

He watched her stand and their eyes locked. She had never looked so beautiful. Her face streaked with tears, her hair pulled back of her face in a messy ponytail and wearing a college sweatshirt that had been washed a thousand times. He watched the emotions on her face. Despair, disbelief, hope, realization and confusion.

"Jack…?"

"Hey…" He didn't know what emotion to convey, so he tried in vain to stay neutral and hide his hopeful smile.

"Your plane already left."

"Yeah!"

"You weren't on it."

"No… I'm not leaving."

Samantha's tear filled nervous laughter filled his ears.

"It would seem that giving up my job, my city and the love of my life wasn't enough to save my family."

Samantha just looked at him, tears flowing down her cheeks as he reached out towards her and rubbed his thumbs along their path as he cradled her face.

"You know this was supposed to be closure. I could watch you fly of into the sunset and then forget about you."

Jack's smile consumed his whole body, "I didn't fly anywhere."

"No you didn't." Sam laughed as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

They clung to each other as though they had nothing else in the world. He didn't think about where he would live, where he would work and she didn't think about her attempt the previous night to forget that he was leaving. They didn't need to think about those things in that moment. In that moment they had everything they needed. In that moment they had their lives back. They had each other.


End file.
